In our interview series on featured speakers at the upcoming LatAm Summit 2014, Portada spoke with Fernando Calderón, Director of Marketing, Public Relations, and Customer Service (CMO) at OCCMundial, a market leader in online job boards. This interview with Calderón is part of our LatAm Summit Q&A series, which also includes Caio del Manto and Annika Blockstrand, Brand Planning Lead and Regional Media Director, respectively, for Mondelez in Latin America.

Translated by Candice Carmel

OCCMundial has been in the market for the last 17 years. According to company figures, it offers over one million free online job postings every year and is used by 16,000 small and medium-sized companies, as well as recruitment and selection experts. OCCMundial has more than 8 million registered users and about 9 million visitors per month.

According to Calderón, the company’s leadership is due to its constant technological innovation: "OCCMundial’s approach is to constantly innovate for the benefit of those professionals seeking a new or better job, and for recruiters interested in efficiently filling their job vacancies."

Marketing

OCCMundial has a three-pronged marketing approach: Companies, candidates and advertisers.

"Companies can acquire plans for a specified number of job postings, according to their hiring and staffing needs; while people seeking employment through OCCMundial have the option to register and post their resume for free, while also having the option to purchase fee-based services such as MyOCC, which gives them access to tools, services and discounts that significantly reduce their employment search time and add more value to their resume. Finally, OCCMundial markets branding/display elements in the segmented CPM area to its more than 9 million monthly visitors, in addition to services such as email marketing and media buying," said Calderón.

Social media

As for social media, Calderón said that "it constitutes an important pillar of our marketing strategy. We offer valuable content on social media in order to gain objective and useful audiences. Social media contributes to brand building from the point of view of experience and reliability."

OCCMundial defines its social media strategy at a "trust-engage-sell" type of strategy.

Betting on small and medium-sized companies

According to Calderón, there are currently 4 million small and medium-sized companies in Mexico, so OCCMundial is focused on increasing its penetration in this market. "In recruitment and selection, we have found that small and medium-sized enterprises have a need to manage their human capital through a technology platform, so we have adapted our services and commercial offerings to this segment by providing access to the best services that a big company may need, but through plans that are within the reach [of these smaller companies]."

Portada: Do you have plans to expand to other markets?

Fernando Calderón: Yes, we are evaluating business alternatives to invest in other niche markets related to labor and employment. Likewise, we are analyzing the possibilities for geographic expansion of our services.

OCCEducación

OCCEducación is the OCCMundial business unit that offers consulting and educational opportunities both online and on site ̶ for prep schools, bachelor degrees and engineering, diplomas, masters, courses and seminars ̶ to people seeking to continue or enhance their academic training. OCCEducación currently provides educational offerings, both online and on site, at major educational institutions throughout Mexico.

"OCCEducación was created in 2011 when we found that some professionals searching the site for employment were also looking for ways to complete their studies or develop certain skills that companies required to fill jobs. This was supported by an annual survey of site users, in which 70% of respondents said that continuing education is the key to improving their employment situation," noted Calderón.

Portada: How do you work with OCCEducación?

Fernando Calderón: Until December 2012, OCCEducación provided educational offerings in online format only. However, in 2013, OCCEducación forged an alliance with Universidad TEC Milenio to include on site educational offerings.

P.: What have the results been so far?

Fernando Calderón: From July 2011 to date, OCCEducación has registered over 6,500 people in recognized educational institutions both in Mexico and abroad, among them: Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), Círculo de Actualización Profesional, Universidad Tec Milenio, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), Universidad Tecnológica Latinoamericana (UTEL), Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP), Universidad Anáhuac, and Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA). In addition, OCCEducación has entered into an agreement with Heinle Cengage Learning, through which 400,000 people have received ​​a free evaluation of their English proficiency level and 600 others have taken English language courses.

OCCEducación also has an alliance with FINAE to provide financing to those interested in education loans and scholarships, through which it has awarded scholarships to more than 200 Mexicans to study in Mexico and abroad.P: How is OCCdifferent from other online classifieds?

- With 17 years of experience and 80% market share, OCCMundial is the leading site in Mexico to find work at any level.
- Over 1 million free online job openings posted every year, far surpassing that of any other online job board in the country.
- The most highly used online recruitment tool: Used by 17,000 small, medium and large companies, and experts in recruitment and selection.
- The most efficient tool for locating candidates, from management to operations.
- More than 8 million registered users and approximately 9 million visitors per month.
- Allocates a significant percentage of its revenues to Research, Development and Innovation, thus always offering added value to its users.

About Fernando Calderón

Calderón has 20 years of professional experience. He began his career at Grupo CIFRA, where he worked on the Wal*Mart merger. His experience in the field of telecommunications was solidified at AVANTEL and AXTEL, where he served in various management and leadership roles in the areas of Strategic Marketing, Product Marketing, Customer Service, and Public Relations. At Grupo MEDIOS, he was involved in content generation in digital and print media, as well as development of loyalty programs.

He is currently active in the following associations

• Vice-President of Professional Services, Mexican Internet Association (AMIPCI)
• Vice-President of Marketing, Mexican Association of Direct and Interactive Marketing (DIRECTA)
• Primary member of the Board of Directors, Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)
• Member of the Academic Council of the Department of Business Studies, Universidad Iberoamericana
• Strategic Partner, Mexican Association of Computing and Information Technology (AMITI)
• Active Member, Mexican Association of Human Resources (AMEDIRH) and the Association of Industrial Relations Executives (ERIAC)

Calderón earned his B.A. in Business Administration from the Universidad Iberoamericana, where he majored in finance and marketing. He holds a Diploma in Telecommunications from ITESM, and a Marketing Diploma from Strategic Management Intl.

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